


Iris

by Skye_Harvey



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angel Waverly Earp, F/F, First Kiss, Mentioned Sheriff Randy Nedley, Slow Burn Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught, Smitten Nicole Haught, Smooth Nicole Haught, WayHaught Au, Wayhaught - Freeform, rebel Nicole Haught
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-07-10 04:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15941387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_Harvey/pseuds/Skye_Harvey
Summary: Imagine if Nicole was the rebel that smoked next door to Waverly's youth group. And then there are feelings. Oooo the tension.





	1. Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as taylor144 and haughtsbiceps on Tumblr.

In the small town of Purgatory, it was like a right-of-passage that you attended the youth group for some amount of time before turning 18. It kept the trouble-makers out of the Sheriff’s office and gave the busy-bodies a chance to relax. When Waverly had gone herself, she’d promised to return as an adult to help out, the entire organisation run by volunteers. Sure enough, when University didn’t quite work out and Shorty’s was getting boring, she became a volunteer along with her best friend Jeremy.

Before every meeting, Waverly would set up the community centre with chairs, arts and crafts, toys and mountains of books to read. Jeremy would make up some food and drinks and she would double check that there was nothing dangerous around the building. After one kid fell face-first onto broken glass, they could never be too careful.

In a sense, it was lucky that the community centre was next door to the church, what with the influence and neatness or whatever it was, but Purgatory also had its share of AA meetings which kind of made Waverly’s ‘danger search’ even more important. That’s what she told herself anyway as she made her way around the back of the building for a second time, her eyes lingering on the back of the church.

She knew it was ridiculous. She knew Jeremy would laugh at her. She knew it was completely crazy, but if there was just a chance that she could see…

Suddenly the church’s fire exit burst open, a flash of red hair glowing in the evening sun.

Waverly bit her lip and took a step back so she couldn’t be seen. She rolled her eyes at herself; it was stupid to be acting so childish around the redhead, but there was just something about her that made the brunette’s heart skip a beat.

“You know I can see you?”

There was a pause, silence filling the air as Waverly tried to figure out who the redhead was talking to.

“Hello? I can see you hiding.”

The brunette took a deep breath and took a step forward into the light. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn, her heart beating ever faster. The redhead looked amused by the situation, taking a pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket.

“Why exactly were you hiding?” The redhead grinned as she lit one of the cigarettes. 

“Hide and seek?” Waverly could feel her voice trembling; she’d only ever dreamt of talking to the mysterious woman.

“Hide and seek with…? Yourself?”

“No, Jeremy is inside. He’s playing hide and seek with me. I wouldn’t be playing it by myself, obviously, because that would be weird or something.”

“Woah, ok, take a breath,” the redhead said, exaggerating her words, stretching them out so each was longer than the last as if trying to make a point. A not-so-subtle point. “Do you play hide and seek every Tuesday with Jeremy or is it a different game you’re playing today?”

“Um, I’m not sure-”

“You’re here the same time every week,” the redhead said, her voice trailing off a little towards the end. “Do you play like a hide and seek championship game or something?”

Waverly sighed and rolled her eyes, giggling a little bit at the woman’s joke. “Yeah ok,” she said. “I help run the youth group.”

“So why are you out here? Hiding?”

“I have to check for dangerous things around the building. We had a little boy hurt himself of glass a month ago.”

The redhead nodded slowly, a cloud of smoke gradually forming around her. “Do people like me count as dangerous then?”

Waverly felt her lungs collapse as she ran out of air. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating too. If only life could be simple and people just said-

“I like you.”

Waverly blinked. “Sorry?”

The redhead shrugged. “I like you. You seem nice.”

“Oh right. You, uh, seem nice too.”

“The name’s Nicole,” the woman held out her hand and Waverly shook it, making sure to take a mental note of the feel of her skin. In a non-creepy way, of course. “Nicole Haught.”

“I’m Wa-”

“Waverly Earp.”

“How do you know my name?”

The redhead shrugged again and stamped out the remainder of her cigarette. “I have friends who know who you are. It’s not as creepy as it sounds, I promise. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself, although your game of hide and seek seems to have worked just as well.”

Waverly felt flustered. She’d literally dreamt about talking to the redhead and now it seemed like Nicole had been wanting to talk to her just as much? 

“So I’ll meet you after your youth group for a coffee, yeah?”

The brunette snapped out of her thought bubble and tried to think of an answer. There was nothing wrong with a coffee. Coffee was coffee. Coffee meant not Shorty’s so no-one would see her. Not that it would be a bad thing to be seen with Nicole. Or would it?

“Waverly, it’s a yes or no question. I can take the rejection. I think.”

“Yes”

“You sure?”

“Totally. The club finishes at eight-thirty though.”

“That’s fine by me; I’ll be right where you left me,” Nicole winked and turned around to go back inside the church. “You’re paying though, ok?”


	2. Graffiti

Waverly looked at her watch, suddenly realising her hands were shaking. She stuffed them into her trouser pockets and looked around the corner of the community centre again. The youth club had finished ten minutes ago and the brunette couldn’t help but wonder if Nicole had lied to her.

“What are you waiting for?”

The brunette jumped as the voice was practically in her ear.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Nicole grinned, the glint in her eye saying otherwise. “Shall we get going?”

Waverly tucked a loose hair behind her ear and tried to hide her blushing cheeks with her scarf. “Where exactly are you taking me?”

The redhead held out her hand, Waverly taking it with her own. Nicole then lead her back into the centre of town but taking back roads and alleyways. It seemed weird at first, but as Nicole started to point out bits of graffiti or a cat playing with her kittens, it made more sense. It was so easy to take the main road from the community centre when going into the town, but Waverly was now seeing an entirely different side to the area. She’d never noticed the graffiti or even thought of it as art, and yet there was a building they’d passed which was nearly entirely covered in a mural and it was beautiful.

As they turned a corner and found themselves on one of the main roads again, Waverly repeated her question. Nicole simply rolled her eyes, still holding tight to the brunette’s hand.

“Just trust me.”

They walked past two or three different bars and coffee shops before reaching the edge of a trailer park. Off to the side of the road was a small trailer, the side of which was half-open and serving a small group of builders with burgers and hot dogs.

“This doesn’t seem like…”

Nicole stopped walking, the brunette almost crashing into her, their bodies now touching. “Doesn’t seem like what? The best place for coffee?”

Waverly shook her head slowly, suddenly aware of the heat rising in her cheeks.

“You’ll change your mind once you’ve tasted it,” the redhead said, biting her lip.

The brunette hung back as Nicole bought them two coffees. They were in cardboard cups so that was a small step up from Waverly’s expectations of polystyrene. The hot drink also smelt surprisingly inviting.

“Go on,” Nicole said. “Try it.”

The redhead didn’t take her eyes away for a moment as Waverly tried the coffee, instantly regretting any thoughts of judgement she’d had of it beforehand. She should have trusted Nicole. The drink was bitter and sweet at the same time, as well as a layer of depth that even her local coffee shop didn’t achieve. It was quite possibly the -

“Best coffee you’ve ever had?”

Nicole grinned and took a sip of her own drink, closing her eyes and she let the warmth rush over her. The cold air of the approaching winter definitely helped with the enjoyment of the drink; there was something special about having a coffee or hot chocolate in the cold. It also felt special being there with Nicole…

“So how come you were late?” Waverly took a sip of the coffee again, pleased with herself for having the confidence to say something.

“I had an argument with someone.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.

“From someone at the meeting?”

Nicole raised an eyebrow at the brunette before realising what she was talking about. “I wasn’t at the church for an AA meeting,” she mumbled, stuffing her free hand into her coat pocket.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Well I mean I was there for an AA meeting but only ‘cause my Dad runs them and he ‘likes to keep an eye on me’ or something”. Nicole made quote marks in the air, her eyes rolling so much Waverly could have heard them.

“Wait, doesn’t Sheriff Nedley run the AA meetings?”

“Yep.”

“So-”

“He adopted me when I was six.”

Silence filled the air and the huddle of builders left. It was just the two of them and the burger trailer. Not at all awkward.

Nicole cleared her throat, making Waverly jump. “I argued with him before I left. He doesn’t like me smoking and I don’t like going to AA meetings. It kind of sucks ‘cause he’s a really great guy and I know he’s just looking out for me but-”

“But sometimes you need to break free?”

The redhead wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled at Waverly, nodding. “Exactly.”

“Having an older sister like mine means my Aunt is kind of overprotective of me. She wasn’t too pleased when I quit college, or when I said I was going to work at Shorty’s to stay in Purgatory.”

“Try having a Dad who doesn’t want you to go to college to begin with because he doesn’t want ‘bad influences’ to have a ‘bad effect’ on you.”

Waverly giggled, Nicole joining her. 

“It seems like we’re both kind of stuck, doesn’t it?” The brunette said, putting a hand on Nicole’s shoulder.

“I don’t feel stuck with you though,” the redhead mumbled, putting her hand on top of Waverly’s.


	3. Author's Note

Ok peeps just hold on tight!

I know it's been a while since this was updated but boy oh boy am I back in the swing of things. 

Keep your fingers crossed and you rebel Nicole requests coming 'cause a new chapter will be up soon!

(and if it isn't, you should nag me in the comments!)

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so a little update - this will become a multi-chapter fic with everyone asking me to continue it XD And yes, rebel Nicole will reign forever in the AU, don't worry :)


End file.
